Sheffield Speedway Match Reports 2007

Ricky made a poor start to heat 1 and spent the whole race trying to make the inside line work. Shaun Tacey grabbed a handful of throttle and passed Tom P. Madsen on the outside on the last lap, but Ricky was unable to emulate his efforts. Ben's winning time was the fastest of the season. Mark Thompson (on a Simon Stead machine!) made a blistering start to lead heat 2 but the two James' were never troubled by Tomas Suchanek. Kyle flew into the lead in heat 3 with Cooperman on his tail. André took a couple of laps before passing Paul and never looked like seriously challenging for the lead, while Paul made a slight error exiting turn two on the last lap and only just managed to hold onto third place ahead of Jason King. James Cockle started well in heat 4 but was passed by Paul Fry exiting the second turn. Joel limped away from the tapes but still managed to pick off the pedestrian Czech. André looked more like his old self in heat 5 as he scorched away into the lead but all attention was on Cooperman who blasted around Tom P on the first turn, drew alongside Shaun on the back straight and into second place around the third and fourth turns. This win broke the deadlock and the Sheffield Window Centre Tigers open up a 4 point lead.

Ben Wilson and Paul Fry had a great tussle for the first couple of laps before Ben pulled clear, by which time Ricky was looking for a way through. Ricky dived in hard on the third turn on the last lap and a lesser rider than Paul Fry would have gone down, but instead he held his line for a good second place. Kyle and Jason King cleaned up in heat 7 with Joel suffering clutch problems, and Birko scraping the boards but losing ground for all his efforts. Fast starting James Cockle led heat 8 as far as the second bend when Ben blasted through into the lead. Ben seemed more interested in the track record than team riding though and James was left to his own devices but as it happened he easily outpaced Shaun for a very useful 5-1. Paul Fry led heat 9 with his Cooperman trying his best to find a way past. André passed his team mate at the end of the third lap but had left it too late to catch the leader. Heat 10 looked tasty featuring Ricky, Ben and Kyle, but who would have put money on Jason King leading the way! Ben seemed to do his bit to stitch-up Kyle on the first turn with Ricky switching back to the inside but Jason had his head down and was away. Kyle was giving it all he had when he slid off at the back of the field on the third lap but quickly remounted. The Sheffield Window Centre Tigers have made hard work of extending their lead to 6 points.

Tom P led heat 11 but Joel dived past on the inside of turn 3. Tom P had a better line out of the fourth turn and moved back into the lead, only for Joel to go around him on the first and second turns. Birko was right on Shaun's exhaust but just couldn't get the advantage. André and James C were shock leaders in heat 12 with Mark Thompson passing Kyle out of turn 2. Kyle dived straight under Mark on the third turn and set off in chase of James. His inside challenge on the second turn was not pretty and how James stayed on two wheels I'm not quite sure, but by the time he'd got it pointing in the right direction again Mark Thompson had sneaked through into third place. James spoke to Kyle by the pit gate and I don't imagine they were contemplating track conditions! Ricky made his first decent start to lead heat 13 but Joel was at the back of the field.  Not for long though as he dived under Paul Fry in heavy traffic on the third turn to move into third place, and then followed suit on the first turn to relegate Tom P to the delight of the home fans. Jason King was nominated for a tactical ride in heat 14, although no-one could understand why Mark Thompson didn't come out to replace his fellow reserve. It hardly mattered though as Birko and Paul were first to show and were looking for each other and team riding! Jason never got close enough to put in a challenge, although the Sheffield pair would have taken some splitting. André trapped to lead heat 15 from Kyle and Paul Fry. Ben's wide line exiting turn 2 brought him alongside the Fen Tigers pair down the back straight and he looked ideally placed to pass them both, but sadly not and he was never afforded another chance.

Hard riding Kyle and Paul Fry impressed for the visitors, but Tomas Suchanek was a liability. James C made some blistering starts, went better than his score suggests and thankfully managed to stay out of trouble. Birko struggled on a track which didn't favour the outside line. Ricky had a nightmare start to the meeting but finished in good style. Joel overcame machine problems and finished with two belting rides. Paul's first meeting since being promoted from reserve saw him ride well for (paid) 10 points and some good team riding with Birko. The track seemed to suit Ben, although I think he was the only home rider it suited. André had mechanical problems on the parade lap and seemed to be wrongly set up for his first race although he too finished in good style. So, the Sheffield Window Centre Tigers take a 14 point lead to West Row which should make the return leg an interesting affair.

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